Probing device on punch presses and the like



E. FUNKE 3,387,525

PROBING DEVICE ON PUNCH PRESSES AND THE LIKE June 11, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 23, 1966 INVENTOR. 7rw/ 75241 June 11, 1968 E. FUNKE 3,387,525

PROBING DEVICE ON PUNCH PRESSES AND THE LIKE Filed June 23, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VENTOR.

United States Patent Claims. 61. $24-$54 The present invention relates to a probing device for punch presses and the like. The invention can be employed wherever first a machine tool part has to be lowered and subsequently by means of said machine part and by further lowering the same, a working operation has to be carried out;

A probing device for punching machines and the like is known according to which the punching carriage is coupled with the pressure rod and connected through an eccentric with said punching carriage. The eccentric carries a handle non-rotatable relative thereto, by means of which the eccentric can be turned as a result of which, while the pressure rod is at a standstill, the punching carriage is lowered in order to permit the handle of the operator to align the work piece with its punched bore centered with the punch point of the punch. Subsequently, to the probing and aligning, the pressure rod is actuated and the Work piece is punched.

While said known probing device has proved useful for punching machines, it has been found that at the start of the movement of said pressure rod, the latter will through the connecting plate exert a rotary movement upon the eccentric and thus upon the handle which is fixedly connected to the eccentric. This partial shocklike turning back or rebound of the handle is disadvantageous during the punching operation, and when not carefully handling the punch or if the punch is operated by less skilled operators, may endanger the operator and affect the Working operations.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a probing device for punching machines, which will overcome the above mentioned drawback.

It is another object of this invention to provide a probing device as set forth in the preceding paragraph, which will safely avoid a kickback or rebound of the handle.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a probing device as set forth above, which will not unduly increase the cost thereof nor necessitate an undue increase in the structure of the punch or the driving means therefor and which will not bring about any new dangers or affect the working operations.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 to 3 diagrammatically illustrate the operation of a punching device without the yoke member according to the present invention.

FIGS. 4 and 5 respectively illustrate in section the device according to the present invention in two different positions.

FIG. 6 diagrammatically illustrates a probing device according to the present invention combined with a punch A having a combined profiled rod shears P and rod shears S.

y The invention is based on a probing device on punches or the like with a plate which is tiltable on the pressure rod and is connected to the punch carriage through an eccentric equipped with a manually operable lever or handle. For realizing the above mentioned objects, the said handle is adapted to be displaced longitudinally on its supporting stud which is connected to the eccentric and 3,387,525 Patented June 11, 1968 is thus adapted to be disengaged from the eccentric. Preferably, the stud connecting the said plate with the pressure rod has that one of its ends which extends through an oblong hole of the punch frame provided with a yoke member which is tiltable away from and toward the frame and brings about the longitudinal displacement of the said handle. The said handle is provided with an inclined surface for cooperation with a stationarily arranged inclined surface on the punch frame whereby the said yoke member is adapted to be tilted in a direction perpendicular with regard to the punch frame when the stud carrying the yoke member is moved upwardly by the pressure rod.

The said yoke member has its free end provided with a fork-shaped section which engages the handle, the legs of the fork being adapted to slide on both sides of the stud carrying the handle.

When the pressure rod, and together therewith the stud carrying the tiltable yoke, has returned to its starting position, the handle which is under the influence of a spring urging the handle against said yoke member will be moved into coupling engagement with the eccentric. When this has been effected, the device is ready for a new probing operation.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the pressure rod or pressure member 1 is tiltable about a pivot 2 from its FIG. 1 position into its FIG. 3 position and vice versa. The front head-shaped end 3 of pressure member 1 cooperates with the correspondingly designed upper section of the punching carriage 4 which latter is reciprocable rectilinearly. upwardly and downwardly in the punch frame 5 and has its lower end provided with the punch supporting member 6 and the punch 7. Punch carriage 4 has a rectangular recess 8 in which a plate 9 is arranged, the Width of said recess 8 being so selected that said plate 9 is able to move later-ally in said recess 8 when said plate 9 is tilted about its pivot 10 by means of which said plate 9 is rotatably connected to pressure member 1. The tilting operation is easily evident from a comparison of the positions of plate 9 in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Near its lower end, plate 9 is provided with a bore having journ-alled therein an eccentric 11. This eccentric is at its end face provided. with a stud 12 to which handle 13 is connected so as not to be rotatable relative thereto. On that side which is located opposite to said handle 13, the eccentric 11 is provided with a bolt 14 (FIGS. 4 and 5 which engages a corresponding bore 15 of the punching carriage 4.

When handle 13 is tilted out of its FIG. 1 position into the position 13' shown in FIG. 2, the eccentric will carry out a turning movement in its bore in plate 9. Since said plate 9 due to the fact that the pressure member 1 is at a standstill is unable to carry out an upward and downward movement, but can carry out a lateral tilting movement only by means of its lower end, the said plate 9 will tilt from its FIG. 1 position into its FIG. 2 position while carriage 4 will carry out a vertical movement downwardly from its FIG. 1 position to its FIG. 2 position. In conf-or-mity with the extent to which the handle 13 turned, it will thus be evident that carriage 4 can be lowered more or less onto the work piece W. The lateral tilting movement of plate 9 and thus the rotary movement of the eccentric 11 are limited by an abutment 16 on carriage 4.

When the probing operation has been completed, the pressure member 1 is actuated in such a way that the headsh-aped end 3 thereof engages the upper section of carriage 4 and presses the same downwardly whereby the work piece W undergoes a punching operation. With this operation, the handle 13 will in view of the effect of plate 9 return to its starting position (FIG. 3). At the same time, the plate 9 will, while engaging an abutment 17, bring about that during the return movement of pressure member 1 to its starting position of FIG. 1, the carriage 4 is carried along and will reach its starting position.

In connection with the present invention, the position of the parts according to FIG. 2 is important. It will be seen from FIG. 2 that at the start of the movement of head 3 of pressure member 1 in the direction of the arrow P, the plate 9 exerts upon eccentric 11 a torque because between the bolt 14, which is coaxial with the stud 12, and the center of the eccentric 11 a lever arm of the magnitude a is obtained. In view of the turning movement caused by the torque, the handle 13' will with the start of the tilting movement of pressure member 1 about pivot 2 be moved to its starting position according to FIGS. 3, 1. This partially shock-like return tilting or rebound of the manually operable lever may endanger the operator and may also atfect the working operations.

The device illustrated in FIGS. 4 and avoids the said drawbacks. That end face 5a of the punch frame 5 which is adjacent to the handle 13 with the handle arms 113, 213 has an oblong hole 18 through which extends the end a of a stud 10 carrying the plate 9. At the free end of said stud 10 which is journalled in a bore of the pressure member 1 there is pivotally journalled a yoke member pivotable about a pin 19 in the direction of the arrow F. This yoke 20 has its lower end extend to the level of stud 12 and provided with a fork 21. The prongs of said fork embrace from opposite sides an extension 22 of stud 12. Below pin 19 the end wall 5a of the punch frame has an extension 23 with an inclined surface 24, while yoke member 20 has an inclined surface 25.

On stud 12 which extends through a second oblong hole 26 of the end wall 5a of frame 5 there is arranged a member 27 of a clutch the second clutch member of which is arranged in a sleeve-like member 23 of the handle 13 which carries the handle arms 113, 213. This sleeve-like member 28 which is displaceable on the thinner portion 22 of stud 12 is under the influence of a spring 29' which continuously urges the clutch parts of stud 12 and sleeve like member 28 of handle 13 into engagement with each other.

The operation of the device according to the present invention will become evident from a comparison of FIGS. 4 and 5 with each other. By turning the handle arms 113, 213, the eccentric 11 is moved from its FIG. 4 position into its FIG. 5 position while the carriage 4 for purposes of probing is lowered onto the work piece. As a result thereof, between pressure member 1 and carriage 4 a distance is created which in FIG. 2 is designated with the character I). This is the starting position of the elements prior to the end 3 of pressure member 1 starting its downward movement. During this downward movement, which in FIG. 5 is indicated by the distance between the center line M and a center line M of pivot 10 at the start of the downward movement of the pressure member, the inclined surface engages the inclined surface 24 and slides on the latter while tilting the yoke member 20 about pivot 19. The tilting of yoke member 20 brings about a disengagement of sleeve-like member 28 from stud 12 so that the latter can freely turn with the eccentric 11 without the handle 13 being turned by the handle arms 113, 213.

When the pressure member 1 again returns to its starting position, yoke member 20 will tilt back to its FIG. 4 position and spring 29 again establishes coupling engagement between sleeve-like member '28 and stud 12. The device is thus again in a starting position for a new operation.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular arrangements shown in the drawings but also comprises any modifications Within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A probing device for prepositioning a punching carriage slidably mounted in the frame of a punching machine, s-aid punching machine comprising a pressure member pivoted in the frame of the machine and adapted for abuttingly engaging said punching carriage at the end thereof opposite the punch end for actuating said carriage, an eccentric having shaft means rotatably carried by said carriage, a link member having one end pivoted to said pressure member and its other end engaged by said eccentric, a lever on said shaft means for rotating said eccentric for moving said carriage relative to said pressure member to cause a punch in the carriage to engage a workpiece in the machine preparatory to a punching operation, movement of said pressure member when said carriage is spaced therefrom and the punch therein is in engagement with a workpiece causing rotation of said eccentric until the pressure member engages and actuates said carriage, cooperating elements of clutch means on said lever and shaft means of said eccentric normally engaged when said pressure member is in retracted position, and means operated by advancing movement of said pressure member from its retracted position for disengaging said elements to permit rotation of said eccentric without rotation of said lever.

2. A device according to claim 1 in which th connection of said link member to said pressure member is in the form of a stud projecting from the frame of the machine, a yoke pivotally mounted on said stud and having an end adjacent said lever, and means for tilting said yoke about its pivotal connection with said stud when said pressure member moves from its retracted position to cause said end thereof to move said lever into clutch element disengaging position.

3. A device according to claim 2 in which said last mentioned means comprises cooperating elements of cam means on said yoke and on the frame of said machine adjacent the yoke.

4. A device according to claim 3 in which said end of said yoke is forked and embraces said shaft means adjacent said lever.

5. A device according to claim 4 in which spring means on said shaft means urges said lever toward clutch element engaging position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1924 Clarke 83554 8/1926 Zimmer 83-554 

1. A PROBING DEVICE FOR PREPOSITIONING A PUNCHING CARRIAGE SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN THE FRAME OF A PUNCHING MACHINE, SAID PUNCHING MACHINE COMPRISING A PRESSURE MEMBER PIVOTED IN THE FRAME OF THE MACHINE AND ADAPTED FOR ABUTTINGLY ENGAGING SAID PUNCHING CARRIAGE AT THE END THEREOF OPPOSITE THE PUNCH END FOR ACTUATING SAID CARRIAGE, AN ECCENTRIC HAVING SHAFT MEANS ROTATABLY CARRIED BY SAID CARRIAGE, A LINK MEMBER HAVING ONE END PIVOTED TO SAID PRESSURE MEMBER AND ITS OTHER END ENGAGED BY SAID ECCENTRIC, A LEVER ON SAID SHAFT MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID ECCENTRIC FOR MOVING SAID CARRIAGE RELATIVE TO SAID PRESSURE MEMBER TO CAUSE A PUNCH IN THE CARRIAGE TO ENGAGE A WORKPIECE IN THE MACHINE PREPARATORY TO A PUNCHING OPERATION, MOVEMENT OF SAID PRESSURE MEMBER WHEN SAID CARRIAGE IS SPACED THEREFROM AND THE PUNCH THEREIN IS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH A WORKPIECE CAUSING ROTATION OF SAID ECCENTRIC UNTIL THE PRESSURE MEMBER ENGAGES AND ACTUATES SAID CARRIAGE, COOPERATING ELEMENTS OF CLUTCH MEANS ON SAID LEVER AND SHAFT MEANS OF SAID ECCENTRIC NORMALLY ENGAGED WHEN SAID PRESSURE MEMBER IS IN RETRACTED POSITION, AND MEANS OPERATED BY ADVANCING MOVEMENT OF SAID PRESSURE MEMBER FROM ITS RETRACTED POSITION FOR DISENGAGING SAID ELEMENTS TO PERMIT ROTATION OF SAID ECCENTRIC WITHOUT ROTATION OF SAID LEVER. 